Part of the Team Recruiter Volunteers with
Multiple Community Programs

By Mark Rickert, USAREC, Baltimore BattalionJan. 21, 2015

Soldier, fireman, football coach, husband and
father — Staff Sgt. Thomas Acker rarely gets a moment’s break. But Acker’s
built that way. He’s 100 percent dedicated to serving his Montgomery County,
Maryland, community.

The Baltimore Battalion recruiter took on the
role of a community leader the moment he started working at the Gaithersburg Center.

Acker is a helper by nature, a result of enduring
hardships from an early age. As a child, he lost his mother. Eight years later,
he lost a sister. Then, at age 16, his grandmother, primary caregiver, passed
away, but not without first teaching him an invaluable lesson: “If they don’t
have a shirt, then give them your own.”

Acker’s current assignment as a recruiter enables
him to become even more involved with community service.

“As the liaison between the Army and the local
community, it’s my job to show them we’re not just war fighters,” he said. “We are
fathers, coaches, and assets to the community.”

Acker’s community involvement exceeds the
expectations of his duties. In addition to his typical workload for the
battalion, where he currently manages the digital media outreach programs, he leaves
each fall afternoon to coach football at Seneca Valley High School. He works with
both junior and varsity teams and also coaches weekend games.

“I always try and pass along the Army Values,” he said of mentoring the students on his team. “I show how these values can be incorporated into playing football; they’re not exclusive to the Army.”

Seneca Valley head coach, Fred Kim, said Acker exudes the characteristics expected from an Army Soldier.

“Determination, teamwork, maturity — Acker is the perfect example of somebody who embodies that; he characterizes those traits,”he said. “And those are the same values that we try to instill within our own students.”

Acker also volunteers Thursday nights at the Germantown Volunteer Fire Department, Thursday nights catching only a few hours of sleep before it’s time to get back to his regular job.

“It’s a busy area,” he said. “Sometimes we don’t get any sleep.”

In September, his wife Nicole gave birth to their first son, Camden (named after the Baltimore Oriole’s ballpark), and there’s plenty to do around the house.

At night, Acker rests assured, knowing he’s making his community a better place.

“I have all this ability to help people,” he said.“I’m not helping anyone by sitting around and doing nothing. I don’t want my son growing up with lackluster leadership within his community. So I do what I can with the youth of today to shape them into better adults for tomorrow.”